Abstract [en]

Based on the first-principles density functional theory, we have studied the stability, electronic structure and ammonia storage capacity of metal-decorated graphene oxide (GO). Metal atoms (Mg and Li) are bonded strongly to the epoxy oxygen atoms on the surface of the GO sheet, which can act as high-surface-area adsorbent for the ammonia uptake and release. Each metal atom can bind several ammonia molecules around itself with a reasonable binding energy. We find metal-decorated GO can store up to tens of moles of ammonia per kilogram, which is far better than the recently reported excellent ammonia adsorption by GO.